Low Visibility Areas &
ARC Flash Garments
When workers face both reduced visual awareness and electrical hazards, a single garment can’t do it all. Here’s how to achieve dual compliance — and why specification decisions matter more than they might appear.
Working in low visibility areas presents a dual risk: reduced visual awareness and exposure to electrical hazards such as arc flash. When specifying ARC-rated garments for these environments, visibility compliance is just as critical as protective performance.
At VAILOS, we typically work with two recognised visibility standards to ensure garments are fit for purpose and compliant. Understanding what each standard requires — and where the boundaries lie — is essential for any safety manager specifying PPE in these environments.
EN ISO 20471 is the primary international standard for high visibility workwear. It is divided into three performance classes, each reflecting a different level of wearer conspicuity in hazardous environments.
Lowest level of visibility. Suitable only for environments with the least demanding visibility requirements and slower-moving vehicles.
Intermediate visibility. Required for more complex traffic environments or locations with higher risk exposure.
Highest level of visibility. Mandated for the most hazardous roadside or high-speed environments where maximum conspicuity is essential.
Classification is based on a combination of factors — not simply the presence of reflective elements. The standard considers the surface area of fluorescent background material, the amount and placement of retroreflective tape, overall garment design and coverage, and the positioning of contrast material.
Retroreflective tape may be sewn on or heat sealed, provided it meets the standard’s performance requirements across both methods of attachment.
Designing garments to EN ISO 20471 is not simply a case of adding reflective tape. Each garment must be carefully engineered to meet minimum material areas, tape positioning rules, and durability requirements — all while maintaining wearability and protection performance.
Even within these strict criteria, VAILOS has the expertise to develop bespoke garments, including the use of custom Pantone colours on high-visibility garments, while still fully complying with EN ISO 20471.
EN 17353 is a newer standard introduced to address confusion in the marketplace around visibility garments. It applies to clothing intended for medium-risk or low-light environments, where full EN ISO 20471 certification may not be required.
This standard is split into different types and performance levels, based on the use of retroreflective elements, the presence and colour of fluorescent materials, and the intended wear environment and risk exposure.
VAILOS has seen first-hand confusion among health & safety managers and end users — particularly in three common scenarios:
Common misunderstandings in the field: A single strip of reflective tape was assumed to mean EN ISO 20471 compliance. Trousers with two reflective bands were mistaken for certified high-visibility garments. Products visually appeared compliant but carried no certification at all. EN 17353 helps remove this ambiguity by more clearly defining what visibility performance a garment actually provides.
One of the most important points to understand when specifying visibility PPE — and one that is frequently overlooked during procurement — is that visual similarity to a certified garment offers no protection in itself.
“Just because a garment includes retroreflective tape does NOT mean it meets EN ISO 20471. Certification must be verified — not assumed.”
The only way to confirm compliance is to check the technical label inside the garment, verify the declared standard (EN ISO 20471 or EN 17353), and ensure the garment class or type matches the risk assessment for the specific working environment.
Always check the label: A compliant garment will state the standard it meets and the class or type it has been certified to. If this information is absent or unclear, the garment should not be assumed compliant — regardless of how it appears.
Need ARC-rated garments that are also certified to EN ISO 20471 or EN 17353?
When working in environments where arc flash protection and low visibility are both present, the specification challenge becomes significantly more complex. Garments must simultaneously meet ARC / FR performance requirements and carry visibility certification to EN ISO 20471 or EN 17353 — depending on the assessed risk level.
The garment must provide tested protection against arc flash incident energy, with inherent FR properties that do not wash out or degrade.
Fluorescent and retroreflective materials must meet EN ISO 20471 or EN 17353 requirements — verified by label, not assumed by appearance.
ARC garments cannot simply “add visibility” without considering material compatibility, certification limits, and construction methodology.
This is where specialist design knowledge is essential. The interaction between FR fabric substrates and high-visibility materials must be engineered from the outset — not retrofitted. Adding non-compliant visibility materials to an arc-rated garment can compromise both certifications simultaneously.
If garments are required for low visibility areas where arc flash risk is also present, these practices form the foundation of a compliant and practical specification approach.
VAILOS designs its garments with these requirements in mind from the outset — ensuring clarity, compliance, and confidence for safety managers and wearers alike. Dual-compliance garments are engineered as unified systems, not assembled from separately certified components.
Low visibility and arc flash risk frequently co-exist in the same working environment. Addressing only one of these hazards while overlooking the other is a compliance failure — and a safety failure. Garments specified for these conditions must be certified against both arc-flash performance standards and the appropriate visibility standard, and that dual compliance must be verifiable from the label, not inferred from appearance.
VAILOS brings the integrated design expertise required to develop garments that genuinely meet both requirements — combining inherent FR fabrics with EN ISO 20471 and EN 17353 compliant visibility materials, engineered from the outset as a single certified system.
For safety managers navigating these dual-risk environments, the standard is clear: specify correctly, verify the label, and partner with a manufacturer who understands the full picture.
Ready to specify a dual-compliant ARC & visibility system?
Our PPE specialists will assess your arc flash and visibility requirements and specify the right Vailos solution — engineered from the outset for both certifications, delivered to your team’s doorstep.
